The more you think about the past, the harder it is to live in the present. Let go. Free youself!
The inability, or rather the unwillingness, of the human mind to free itself from the past is beautifully described in the story of two Zen Buddhist monks, Tadzan and Ekido. Once they happened to be walking along a country road, all covered in mud from the recent heavy rains. Approaching a village, the monks met a girl who wanted to cross the road, but the mud was so deep that it would ruin her silk kimono. Without thinking, Tadzan lifted her in his arms and carried her to the other side.
The monks continued their journey in silence.
Five hours later, when they were already approaching the monastery where they were going to take shelter, Ekido could not stand it and finally spoke about what was oppressing him:
„Ама защо взе на ръце онова момиче? — запитал той. — Ние, монасите, не бива да постъпваме така.“
„Оставих я на земята преди часове — отвърнал му Тадзан — Ти още ли я носиш със себе си?“
Now imagine what life would be like for someone
който през цялото време живее като Екидо, никога не успява или никога не пожелава да се освободи вътрешно от ситуациите, натрупвайки все повече и повече „материал“ вътре в себе си — именно такъв е животът на преобладаващата част от човечеството. Какъв тежък товар от минало носят хората в ума си!
The past lives in you in the form of memories,
but the memories themselves are never the problem. In fact, it is through memories that you learn from the past and your past mistakes. Only when the memories, i.e. thoughts of the past completely take over you, they become a burden, they become a problem, they become part of your sense of self. Your personality conditioned by the past becomes your prison…
However, your story consists not only of mental but also of emotional memory
— old emotions that keep reviving. Just as that monk carried the burden of his resentment with him for five hours, feeding it with his thoughts, so most people carry with them a great deal of unnecessary baggage, both mental and emotional, for most of their lives. They limit themselves through their sorrows, through their complaints, hostility, guilt. Their emotional thinking has become their self, and they cling to old emotions—because they reinforce their identity…
Nothing that happened in the past can prevent you from being present in the present. And since the past can't stop you, then what is its power?!
Look more: How do our thoughts affect our lives?
excerpt from New Earth - Eckhart Tolle, eckharttolle.com – Издателство:Кибеа
Read also: Meditation is a vitamin for the soul